"The last thing we want to do is privatize the MUA," Small said. "It is in the residents' best interest that the MUA become a city department to avoid privatizing and raising the rates. This is something we can control." At least two water companies have expressed interest in Atlantic City's water asset, valued at $100 million, including United Water and New Jersey American Water - the latter represented by a brother of George E. Norcross III, the South Jersey power broker, who has taken a relatively recent interest in the future of Atlantic City. Selling the utility is a way to get Atlantic City needed cash up front, but such a move is typically followed by rate increases. A second option, to have the Atlantic County Utilities Authority take control of the city's authority, has been pushed by State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who is also lobbying for a full state takeover of the nearly bankrupt city. The ACUA provides trash and recycling services for towns in the county, though not Atlantic City.

Atlantic City's council was supposed to vote Feb. 17 to dissolve the authority and make the utility a city department, but instead voted to delay any action for 90 days. At that meeting, Bruce Ward, executive director of the MUA, said he was planning to seek bids for a "partnership" with a water company, which he predicted would pay $100 million for that status. Guardian said after the meeting that entering a partnership on those terms would be tantamount to selling to a private interest, and would leave residents vulnerable to rate hikes. He has urged the city to take the utility back as a department, a move he and others have predicted could net $4 million a year. Small said council members have since expressed concern with leaving the utility vulnerable to a partnership or sale. "The consensus is to bring it under the city," Small said. "When citizens have spoken, 100 percent of the time they say, don't privatize the MUA. With all due respect, the private-public partnership would lead to privatizing it."

Small said he hoped retirements would reduce the utility's 81-member staff. "A lot of people are going to be skeptical either way," he said. County Executive Dennis Levinson, who was initially against any county involvement, has said in recent interviews that he would consider a county takeover of the authority if it were in the best interests of the county. problems with unit testingA 10-year aid package stalled in the legislature includes $4 million in annual incentives to the county, drawn from a new Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for casinos, if the county provides assistance of some sort to Atlantic City. how to install window mounted ac unitThere have also been calls for the county to bond for the city to pay back more than $170 million in tax appeals owed to the Borgata, but Levinson has refused. no water coming from ac unit

Atlantic City's state-appointed emergency manager, Kevin Lavin, recommended that the city take control of the utility and squeeze between $4 million and $9 million a year out of it by streamlining operations and otherwise monetizing the asset, short of selling. City residents have described it as a longtime source of jobs for locals, particularly in the black community. The specter of Flint, Mich., where state control led to lead-tainted water, has hung over the debate in Atlantic City; the latest state takeover legislation prohibits sale of the utility for one year. A year ago, Gov. Christie signed legislation that streamlines the process of privatizing public water utilities. Lena Smith, regional organizer with Food and Water Watch, said she was wary of any action involving the city's water source taken for the purpose of helping Atlantic City finances. "Dissolving the MUA is a risky move that could begin a slippery slope towards water privatization," she said in an email. "Atlantic City's water is not a cash cow to pay off the city's debt."

Small said the council would vote on the matter at its meeting next Wednesday.During the summer months, Sacramento HVAC systems are put to the test. Air conditioning is used 24/7—cooling hot exterior air into a livable interior temperature giving us a nice respite. But AC systems are working overtime to make our lives comfortable. Condensation on the outside of AC ductwork is not uncommon. There are a variety of reasons that condensation occurs but 'sweating' is not always a cause for concern. Often some basic precautions can be taken to resolve the problem. Some are DIY solutions, others can quite easily be done by a professional Sacramento AC company. Below are a few of the most common causes for condensation on ductwork and how they can be remedied. One of the main causes for condensation on air conditioning ductwork is when the outside of ductwork is cooled down and makes contact with warmer, more humid outside air. This is common especially in attics and crawl spaces, which can very easily reach high temperatures during the summer.

Proper attic ventilation is key. This warmer air is quickly cooled down below its dew point when it makes contact with the outside of the duct, which instantly turns it into the beads of moisture that are so common on the outside of ductwork. The solution to this problem is often as simple as improving the ventilation in the crawl space around the ductwork. Sometimes, when new systems are installed, pipes venting to an attic may not be properly sealed.  A small opening that allows warmer to come in contact with cool ducts causes the condensation to form. Fixing the problem might be as simple as sealing areas where exterior air is coming into the area where the main AC system is housed. Great Stuff is a handyman's dream when sealing these areas. A lack of proper insulation around AC ductwork is another main cause for condensation. The best way to fix this issue is to add a vapor barrier to the outside of ductwork, followed by a layer of insulation that will increase the overall outside temperature of a duct to something that is closer to the outside air temperature.